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Aston Martin recalls nearly all cars built since 2008 over pedal issue

This 2014 Aston Martin DB9 is one of 17,590 cars globally the British company is recalling to fix a gas pedal arm that was made from inferior-grade plastic. Five thousand of the cars are in the U.S.
(Aston Martin)

They are among the world’s fastest and most expensive cars on the road, but that doesn’t mean Aston Martin is immune to a little counterfeit plastic.

The British automaker announced it is recalling nearly all of its cars from the 2008 through 2014 model years to fix an issue with the gas pedal. The recall affects 17,590 cars globally, 5,000 of which are in the U.S.

The issue is related to counterfeit plastics used in the arm of the gas pedal. Aston Martin’s engineers specified the piece needed to be made from brand-name DuPont plastic. The third-tier supplier in China thought otherwise, and used an inferior plastic. Turns out the engineers knew what they were doing: the cheaper part can break under a lighter load than Aston would prefer.

This means the four-door Rapide and Rapide S, V-12 Vantage Coupe, and coupe and convertible versions of the DB9, DBS, Virage, V-8 Vantage and Vantage S will all need to head to a dealership for a free repair.

Good thing, since these cars ranged from about $120,000 to more than $300,000 when new, low-rent plastics or not.

Aston is not aware of the issue causing anyone harm, the company said.

"Although there has been no report of any accidents or injuries involving the throttle pedal, Aston Martin’s commitment to customer safety is paramount, which is why the company is taking this action," Aston Martin said in a statement.

The repairs will begin in the coming weeks, and affected customers will be notified accordingly, according to Aston Martin.